We are 10!
Posted: February 23, 2017 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Extinguishment, Footpaths, Gate, Planning, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way, Restricted Byway, Stile, Uncategorized Leave a commentET Landnet Limited was incorporated 10 years ago today. Happy Birthday to Us!
We’ve seen a few changes in that time. The company has relocated its administration centre from the South East of England to Wales, whilst most of our work continues to be for existing and new clients in England. The focus of our work has shifted from fighting claims to add rights of way to managing public path diversions for our clients.
We’ve enjoyed some notable triumphs, far more than we can cover in this one post, but we will be looking back over our projects in the coming weeks so keep checking our blog.
We go into our next 10 years with enthusiasm and anticipation that the long discussed changes to rights of way procedures will soon be in place. It is worrying to note that we still have current projects which have been running for at least 10 years where councils have still to determine outstanding path claims.
So here are a few photos of some of the projects we have had the privilege to work on!
Pitshill House, West Sussex – Our flagship diversion case.
Baydon House Farm, Wiltshire – The Diversion of two Bridleways for an Equestrian Business.
Quainton Stud, Buckinghamshire – a long running bridleway problem finally resolved by a diversion.
Little Rollright, Oxfordshire – still going after many years but moving towards a finalisation of diversion proposals.
Ibstone, Buckinghamshire. This is an ongoing diversion awaiting the introduction of the Right to Apply.
Fawley Court, Buckinghamshire – we arrange an annual temporary diversion of a footpath for our client’s hospitality event
We have worked on access improvements to secure diversions, and:
…visited some lovely parts of the Country.
Whether it has been fighting claims in North Yorkshire or Kent, or diverting paths in the South East or North West, we have enjoyed working with clients and their professional advisers.
Always remember that you can call or email us for initial advice without obligation.
Call 0203 086 7657 or email mw@etlandnet.co.uk See more at www.etlandnet.co.uk
Or use the contact form below:
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Inspector’s Decision concludes landowner’s changes to public access at Baydon House Farm, Wiltshire
Posted: November 8, 2016 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Extinguishment, Footpaths, Gate, Obstruction, Planning, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way, Restricted Byway Leave a commentA recent decision from the Planning Inspectorate confirming a bridleway diversion brought to an end a series of successful applications and interventions for the landowner at Baydon House Farm, Wiltshire. These included resolving steps taken by the landowner to restrict vehicle access to prevent crime, the authorisation of a gate across a bridleway, the diversion of a bridleway out of a farm yard under planning law processes, and the diversion of a bridleway out of a garden. Michael Wood of ET Landnet Ltd headed the team which successfully delivered the client’s required outcomes.
(Above – the yard at Baydon House Farm that was part of the public bridleway until we successfully diverted it.)
In the process we presented at two committee hearings, acted as advocates at a public inquiry and dealt with the expert evidence, and settled the statements of case for a written representation procedure.
The end result is that the Farm now has no public rights of way on the Farm drive or through the yard, and the privacy of the house and the Farm cottages is immeasurably improved. The operation of the equestrian enterprise can now be undertaken without the risks that come from unannounced public access so horses can be moved and trained in peace.
Here are some of the pictures…
A bridleway ran across the lawn of this cottage
This gate had to be legally authorised whilst the process of diverting the bridleway off the driveway was completed.
A section of bridleway ran between the wall and the outdoor school.
This is part of the new route that takes the public away from the driveway.
This is a section of the new bridleway that is enjoyed by local walkers.
We naturally look back at the end of such a case with a high degree of satisfaction in the knowledge that the owner’s objectives for the Farm have been met. We look forward to the next large project and solving our clients’ access issues.
You can call Michael Wood on 07796 958572 to discuss your access questions or email Michael at mw@etlandnet.co.uk
Autumn is a great time to start sorting out those public rights of way issues!
Posted: August 24, 2016 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Footpaths, Gate, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way, Restricted Byway, Stile Leave a commentThe so-so summer of 2016 is passing into history. Team GB has inspired us all at the Olympics with the Paralympics set to give us even further impetus.
If you have a house or own or manage land which is affected by a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway, and have an alternative route that the path could take to improve your privacy, security or the management of that land, now is a great time to start planning. The new right to apply rules are finally coming into play and will provide a fairer system for diversions to be considered and progressed, and the process should be quicker, too.
A diversion that removes the need for the public to use stiles improves the network and when a stile like this needs to be repaired, reduces the liability of the landowner too!
There are plenty of examples where path diversions succeed without objection, too. They do not always attract objections and even where there may be initial reluctance, it is often possible to find a compromise.
As the new rules start to apply, we will be updating you through our blog – but in the meantime we have many cases sitting ready to go when we can overcome the reluctance of councils to make orders because of the costs they may incur if there are objections.
We are always happy to discuss diversion proposals – please feel free to call our Director Michael Wood on 07796 958572 or email Michael mw@etlandnet.co.uk or fill in the form and we will contact you.
Path Diversions don’t have to take so long.
Posted: August 8, 2016 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Footpaths, Planning, Public Rights of Way Leave a commentTowards the end of September 2015 I was driving back from visiting a new Estate in East Sussex when I took a call from a developer in the North West.
The problem sounded complex . A bridleway and a footpath had a significant impact on a house being developed for a high profile individual. The developer had believed the diversion would be problematic and time consuming and so a plan had been prepared to lower the level of the bridleway to lose it from view. The longer term plan was then to divert the paths after the house was built.
Emails, plans, drawings and opinions were exchanged over the next month. I visited the site towards the end of October. Our team were ready to go. But we couldn’t help thinking that changing the level was unnecessary and that the best bet was simply to press ahead with a diversion.
By Mid November we had agreed that was the right step and that the original wish to hide the bridleway should be abandoned, so with the agreement of the Council, we were able to undertake the pre-order consultation and in March this year the Council agreed to make a complex order for the diversion of the bridleway and the footpath. We then drafted the Order. With a few frustrating delays for Christmas, Easter and annual holidays, the Order was eventually confirmed in July. Even with those delays, from start to finish the process was completed within 8 months.
Rather than being excavated, this track is no longer a public right of way and will have no impact on the development of the site.
The result is:
Greater privacy and security for the new house being built on the site; and
A much nicer environment for riding and walking:
A section of the new bridleway in open countryside.
There is no particular reason why diversions should take long to be dealt with. Invariably it is because officers in councils have too many cases to process or councils have processes which cannot accommodate speedy decisions (such as infrequent committee meetings). Allowing the applicant’s advisers to do the consultation and the drafting of orders saves time for the council.
We are pleased to be pursuing this model in Wiltshire now and look forward to the time when it is the normal way of dealing with matters.
As always we are happy to help you achieve a diversion – call Michael Wood on 07796 958572 or email Michael on mw@etlandnet.co.uk
Footpath in your garden? – A diversion is the answer.
Posted: April 20, 2016 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Extinguishment, Footpaths, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way Leave a commentWe have another confirmed diversion to report! Our second confirmed diversion in Kent so far this year, reflecting that Kent is one of the counties where the Rights of Way Officers are realistic and get on with things (something some other authorities could learn from). In both cases there were objections. In one, the objection was withdrawn, and in the other, the matter was dealt with by written representations to an Inspector.
In the written representation case, the path ran through the garden of The Old Rectory at Alkham. If you stood on the path this is what you would see:
You would be standing on the parking area for the house. It would be easy to wave to the owner if he was standing in the kitchen – this is the view of the parking area from the kitchen window.
Of course the path then ran off across the lawn by the seat:
And walkers could be easily viewed from the bedroom as they crossed the lawn.
Some suggested that it did not impact on the property (which had been in the family for many years) and it was true that the diversion was not straight forward but we are pleased that the Inspector weighed our arguments and accepted that the diversion met the statutory tests and should be confirmed.
Another satisfied client for ET Landnet.
We are working on many such applications at the moment, all proceeding at various speeds, and we have several stacked waiting to be pursued when the new “Right to Apply” provisions take effect in July. We will continue to carry out an initial assessment of any diversion proposal anywhere in England or Wales for our fixed fee of £500 plus VAT to give a realistic appraisal to the owner of occupier of land.
Call Michael Wood on 07795 958572 or email Michael at mw@etlandet.co.uk to find out more.
Footpath Diversion worth the wait?
Posted: February 12, 2016 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Extinguishment, Footpaths, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way, Restricted Byway | Tags: bridleway, definitive map, definitive statement, extinguishment, footpath, highways act, landowner, public right of way, ramblers Leave a commentClients in Herefordshire have finally had their footpath diversion confirmed after nearly two decades! The cross-field path has been diverted on to the neighbouring farm track, which is the route people have walked for so long. The case was dealt with by the “written representations” method of determining objections, and the clients are very relieved it is finally at an end. It was certainly worth the wait!
Not all cases are like this, thankfully, and the new procedures in the Right to Apply legislation are intended to make a marked improvement to the speed of the process. There is no inherent reason why a diversion should take so long. It is either a “good diversion” (in the sense that it meets the statutory tests and DEFRA guidance) or it is not.
It might be thought that delay benefits the objectors but that is rarely the case. Like the applicants and their advisers, we all only have so long on this earth and if you have a genuinely held objection to a proposal, surely it is better to have it considered and move on!
Any paralysis in the system usually arises from an approach that “we have always done things like that”. It is an approach which has been swept aside in so many areas of our lives without harm. The procedure retains the rights of the public to play a full part in the determination of path proposals, even through to a public inquiry if really needed.
You can always talk to us about how we can help you. Call Michael Wood on 07796 958572 or email Michael at mw@etlandnet.co.uk and see what solutions there are to these issues.
Footpath Diversion? Now is the time to start planning.
Posted: January 22, 2016 Filed under: Bridleway, Diversion, Extinguishment, Footpaths, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way Leave a commentPublic paths that run through gardens and farm and working yards often have their origins as routes to work which became recorded as public rights of way in the 1950s. Today these bring new issues for those who live and work in proximity to those paths.
The often cited problems about paths through gardens are not overstated. We frequently advise prospective purchasers to avoid houses where paths pass close to their dream house, and increasingly we are working on projects to divert paths as part of the buying process. Paths that affect the privacy and security of the landowner have a significant impact on the value of property and its sale-ability.
The central problem in many cases has been the unwillingness of councils to take diversion proposals forward despite them meeting the statutory tests due to objections from user groups and parish councils where a personal element comes into play. Rather than enable an independent Inspector to weigh up the issues, the council facing the cost of an inquiry will in strained financial times just say “no”.
That problem is about to change and it is set to have a dramatic impact. Councils will now have to to determine applications within a reasonable time and there will be a right to apply to the Secretary of State where a council will not make an order or will not have an order determined if there are objections to it.
The changes are due to take effect in April and we are already reviewing several matters which stalled when councils would not take them forward.
Diversion proposals will still have to meet the statutory criteria so they must not be substantially less convenient to the public and where there is a potential loss of public enjoyment, there must be significant benefits to the landowner to justify the move.
We are carrying out assessments throughout England (where these new rules will apply) under out first view fixed fee scheme of £500 plus VAT so please get in touch if you are thinking of applying to divert that path through your land. Call Michael Wood on 07796 958572, email him on mw@etlandnet.co.uk or complete the form below and we will get back to you. You can visit our website at www.etlandnet.co.uk.
We diverted the footpath and bridleway at Pitshill (above) so that it could be restored as a family home.
Equestrian enterprises benefit from path diversions.
Posted: May 13, 2015 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Footpaths, Planning, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way | Tags: bridleway, diversion, equestrian, footpath, highways act, horses, land, landowner, landowners, planning, public paths Leave a commentWe have recently achieved public path diversions for two clients each with equestrian interests.
In Wiltshire, the bridleway running through this working yard has been diverted as part of a development of farm buildings using planning legislation. At a public inquiry in December we represented the owner and called supporters and expert evidence to satisfy the Inspector that the proposal should be confirmed.
Meanwhile in Devon, and the village of Kings Nympton, our clients breed racehorses and the main paddock was crossed by a footpath which few people used, choosing instead an alternative permissive path that formed the basis of the diversion. Neighbours and the Parish Council were opposed because of the perceived impact on properties near the diversion.
The design for the new path was detailed and a little unusual but reflected the importance of the diversion to the client. It incorporated specific fencing and drainage provisions to address points made by objectors. This was the design plan we produced to the Inspector:
This case was ultimately determined by written representations with the Inspector carrying out an unaccompanied site visit. Where this method can be used it is undoubtedly cheaper for the client. Following the decision to confirm the Order, the new route is now being constructed so that the diversion can take effect.
These two recent cases demonstrate the importance of creative thinking and solutions. The Wiltshire diversion would have taken much longer and met greater challenge had it not been possible to engage the planning procedures for path diversions. We always consider this possibility. The Devon case showed the importance of thoughtful design in a diversion proposal.
We work with a number of equestrian businesses throughout England addressing the particular issues they can have.
As always, more information and advice is available from us via our website – http://www.etlandnet.co.uk or you can email Michael Wood – mw@etlandnet.co.uk or call us on 0203 086 7657
Claimed footpath in Kent is not a public right of way – Modification Order is not confirmed.
Posted: May 7, 2015 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Extinguishment, Footpaths, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way | Tags: public paths Leave a commentMarden in Kent has a number of public paths and clearly a number of people passionate about using them. Its Footpath Group applied to modify the Definitive Map to add a footpath on a track, arguing that the fact that two other paths terminated on the track with no connection between them or other public rights of way meant the track must have always been public.
It based its claim on historic documents, adding a little evidence of use as a back-up to its argument.
Working for the landowners affected by the claim, we argued that the evidence did not support the case, and was contradictory in any event. Whilst some part of the track had been claimed in the 1950s, someone at the time took a clear decision that the route should not be recorded and it was removed from the final map.
For two days in March the evidence was examined and witnesses questioned at a local inquiry. Pleas that “sense” should prevail and that the landowners should agree a path were made but were, of course, not relevant to the Inspector’s decision.
Unusually many of the arguments had been run previously and had failed so the landowners had regarded the issue closed before the claim was renewed based on “new evidence”. The County Council had declined to make an Order but had been directed to do so by the Secretary of State, ultimately ending with the inquiry process.
We are pleased that our arguments against the Order prevailed before the Inspector who decided that the Order should not be confirmed. His finding should be the end of this saga for those involved.
You can read the decision here: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/pins/row/documents/fps_w2275_7_76.pdf
If you are facing a claim or want help with a public right of way issue, diversion or extinguishment, call us now on 0203 086 7657 or email Michael Wood mw@etlandnet.co.uk for advice.
More details of what we can do for you are on our website http://www.etlandnet.co.uk
Diverting or extinguishing public rights of way. The Deregulation Act 2015 finally receives Royal Assent.
Posted: March 27, 2015 Filed under: Bridleway, Development, Diversion, Extinguishment, Footpaths, Public Inquiry, Public Rights of Way | Tags: bridleway, byway, diversion, extinguishment, footpath Leave a comment“La Reine le vault”. And so the Deregulation Bill finally received Royal Assent yesterday as Parliament was prorogued, and we can finally look to the future regarding the changes provided by this legislation for rights of way procedures.
The most important element for our clients is the provision to give landowners the right to apply for a diversion or extinguishment order and to have the application determined. The current process enables a council simply to decline a request to divert or extinguish regardless of the merits of the case. When fully implemented, the legislation will mean that if a Council does not determine the application, refuses to make a diversion order, fails to submit an opposed order for determination, or simply fails to take a decision within a reasonable time, it will be possible to appeal to the Secretary of State.
The full implementation will take a little while to complete as secondary legislation and guidance will need to be issued. There is, however, a will at DEFRA and with those disparate groups who have been driving the legislation to bring all of the changes into force at the same time, so that provisions such as the right to apply which benefit landowners are not left behind whilst other changes that benefit users are implemented.
We are very fortunate to be working with Mike Walker on our diversion and extinguishment cases, as Mike is directly involved with the implementation process with DEFRA. Together we are looking at some of the good practices already in place with other authorities which aim to speed up the process of application and determination and to see if these can be introduced more widely to make the new legislation work efficiently.
We have a number of cases of existing projects that are ready to be taken forward when the new legislation is finally in place. These are cases where authorities have been unwilling to proceed with a matter because of the likelihood of objections, regardless of the merits of the proposal and the benefit to the landowner.
We anticipate that the new changes will lead to a significant demand from landowners seeking to remedy long standing path issues particularly those that impact on privacy, security and the operation of farming, manufacturing and rural business. We have already developed a number of strategies for the existing procedure and these can be brought into play under the new legislation.
Mike has been involved in drafting the guidance to be applied when diversions out of gardens and working yards are sought, and we are looking to apply this guidance to our current and future projects. As demand for applications is expected to be high, now is a great time to evaluate diversion and extinguishment proposals and to get these projects ready to move forward as soon as the legislation permits.
We realise that landowners can be concerned about the costs they may incur and wish to avoid an open-ended commitment. We will always carry out an initial site visit to evaluate the issues and then prepare a quotation to take the matter forward. The cost of the first visit and evaluation is fixed at £500 plus VAT. The matter can then proceed on a fixed quotation or with a ceiling on fees for each element of the project.
A Site Visit in Oxfordshire
We are also pleased to take on existing projects that may have failed or which are stalled, or those which are awaiting determination or have been referred to the Secretary of State for a public inquiry or hearing.
As always you can check out our website for more information about us and our projects: www.etlandnet.co.uk
Or to contact us complete the form below or call Michael Wood at ET Landnet on 07796 958572 or 0203 086 7657 or you can email Michael on mw@etlandnet.co.uk
ET Landnet Limited 